Love You
by willoffire123
Summary: When Luffy goes overboard one night during a winter storm, Zoro dives after him and the two are separated from their ship. Stranded on a winter island, slowly freezing to death, Luffy and Zoro come to realize their long dormant feelings for each other. Can they say their love in two words or less? Or will the winter island take their lives before they get the chance?


**Willoffire123: I'm feeling in a creative mood, so we'll see how far this goes!**

 **Zoro: Oh joy.**

 **Sanji: Back for round two with the devil woman.**

 **Luffy: WHOOPEE! WILLOFFIRE123 DOESN'T OWN ONE PIECE! I WILL! SOMEDAY!**

 **Nami: Be quiet Luffy! On with the show!**

* * *

Sanji

There were times where Sanji would admit: he did crazy stuff in the name of love.

Of course, he never regretted a single act of love he'd ever done, especially when it was done for his darling Robin-chan or his beloved Nami-san.

However, at that moment, as he trudged along an icy cliff overlooking where the Sunny had laid anchor on the orders of his beloved Nami-san, he was beginning to wonder why he hadn't questioned this decision before running off.

What was he doing on that icy cliff, trudging along as the cold tightened its vice-like grip around his entire being?

Of course he was searching for two of his least favorite people on the ship. Their idiot-captain and his idiot-marimo first mate.

Because of course Monkey D. Luffy, the hammer had gone overboard during the storm the night before and of course Roronoa Zoro had dove in after him and of course instead of rescuing Luffy and bringing him back to the ship, that idiot marimo and that idiot captain never made it back to the ship.

"Stupid Marimo," Sanji grumbled. "Stupid Rubber-Captain. Now, where are you so I can kick your asses for worrying Nami-san and Robin-chan?"

Of course at that moment, the skies darkened and snow began to fall in earnest.

Sanji would never _ever_ admit it, but as he peered through the falling snow and scrunched his ears against the picking up wind, he too was worried about Luffy and Zoro.

Just a little bit, mind you.

Then, through the snow, a sign came to Sanji. Three dark shapes stood up tall in the snow about 40 yards in front of him.

Three Swords.

Sanji broke into a light jog. The snow was up to his calves then. By the time he reached where Zoro's swords stood, the snow was up to his knees.

"Oi! Luffy! Marimo!" he called, scanning the nearby area. "Where'd you slither off to? You'll pay for worrying Nami-san and Robin-chan!"

Now if anyone else had been there, looking for the Demon Twins, they'd have moved on, believing the two to be somewhere else.

But this was Sanji looking for the Demon Twins. And so, when he called to them, he was able to hear the feeble, barely-audible response.

"Down…here."

Looking down, Sanji saw a hole that he hadn't noticed before. Ignoring the cold sting of the snow, Sanji got on his knees and peered down into it.

He didn't like what he saw.

The Demon Twins sat huddled one on top of the other in that narrow ice-hole, looking up at him blankly.

"Well you could look at least a little grateful that I found you!" Sanji said hotly.

No response.

With a frustrated grunt, Sanji pulled out the Den Den Mushi transponder snail. Usopp had insisted he bring it in case Luffy was still weak from his prolonged exposure to the sea.

Sanji really needed to remember to thank Usopp for that later; he'd potentially just saved Luffy's and Zoro's lives.

"This is Sanji," he spoke into the transponder snail.  
 _"Did you find them?"_ the voice of his beloved Nami-san rang through the snail.

"Yeah, I did," he answered, too concerned to even great his beloved properly. "I need someone to come up and help me, preferably with Robin."

To her credit, Nami didn't stop to ask questions. _"A search party's on their way up to you now."_

"Hang in there, guys," Sanji told them. "And whatever you do, don't fall asleep."

"Shi-tty-co-ok," was all Sanji got in response from Zoro.

"San-ji," croaked Luffy.

"Luffy," said Sanji, his eyes widening. "Are you awake? Say something!"

"San-ji," Luffy repeated. With a sinking realization, Sanji saw that the two of them were too exhausted to string more than two words together.

Within the next 10 minutes, Franky, Robin-chan and, most importantly, Chopper had arrived with flashlights and blankets.

" _Des Fleur!"_

As Robin's hands brought their nakama to the surface, Chopper rushed to them, blankets in hand.

Sanji was worried when he first found the Demon Twins. Now, seeing them up close, he felt a twinge of fear for his friends' lives.

Sanji used to be a cook on the _Baratie_ , a floating restaurant. On that boat, he'd been many places and seen many things.

Frostbite was one of them.

And now, looking at the reddish blue marks all over their bodies, Sanji could see that Frostbite was starting to claim his captain and his first mate too.

"Chopper, is it…?" he asked the doctor as the doctor and Franky wrapped the Demon Twins securely in blankets.

"Most definitely," said Chopper. "But it's in the early stages."

A warm fabric draped itself across Sanji's shoulders.

"Which means we still have time to treat them," Robin said as she wrapped Sanji in the third blanket.

Like a small kitten, Franky scooped up Zoro in his arms. Chopper grew big and did the same with Luffy.

"Let's go," Sanji said grimly.

With that, the rescue party trudged back to the ship.

Nami, Usopp and Brooke stood on the deck, waiting for them with mugs of hot chocolate.

"Not now, guys!" said Chopper. "We need to get them to the infirmary now! Nami, go and draw a steam bath. We need to warm them up immediately."

"On it!" said Nami, scrambling up to the bathhouse.

"Franky, bring Zoro inside," Chopper instructed.

"You got it, Chopper-bro!" said Franky.

Sanji followed Franky up to the infirmary along with Robin, Usopp and Brooke, his eyes fixed on Zoro the entire way there.

Zoro stared back defiantly. By some miracle, he was still conscious. Although, Sanji expected, he wouldn't be conscious for much longer.

"Wh-what…" Zoro started. "Wh-what a-are…?"

"Don't even bother, Marimo," Sanji told him as the party entered the infirmary. "Save your strength for when your body isn't frozen."

"Put them on the bed," ordered Chopper. "And strip them down; those clothes are still wet."

"Naked together on the same bed, Chopper-bro?" Franky hesitated. "Isn't that pushing it?"

"We don't have a choice," said Chopper, too focused to even blush. "They need to get warm and there's only one bed."

"I'll go and help Nami, then," said Robin, wisely exiting the room to preserve Zoro and Luffy's dignity.

"S-San…"

"Quiet, Luffy," said Sanji as he removed the boy's wet clothes. "You'll waste your energy."

"Z-zor…" Luffy tried again. "Ro-ck. He-lp."

Sanji glanced back at his friends. "Any of that making sense, Chopper?"

"Bl-bl-ood," Luffy tried again. "He-lp."

It wasn't until Sanji helped Franky remove Zoro's shirt that he understood. Zoro had a deep gash in his side, tinged with the reddish blue signs of frostbite.

"He's lucky," Chopper said while mixing medicines. "If it weren't for the snow and ice, he would have lost a lot more blood."

Making sure he was tightly wrapped in the blanket, Sanji picked up Luffy bridal-style. Franky did the same with Zoro. "We'll get them in the bath."

"All you have to do is make sure they stay in up to their heads the whole time," said Chopper, not looking up from his work. "Dump buckets of hot water over their heads every so often too. And be careful! I saw cuts on their feet too."

"At once, Chopper-san," said Brooke, opening the door for the other three. "Yo-ho-ho! Let's get Luffy-san and Zoro-san upstairs quickly before their skin freezes. And yet…"

"You have no skin to freeze, we get it," Sanji said as he passed Brooke. "Now help us get them upstairs, will you?"  
Brooke sighed, depressed. "At once…"

"C-can't…" Zoro breathed from somewhere behind Sanji. "Ca-n't fe-el…"

"Hang in there, guys," said Usopp.

Thankfully, the boys had made it to the bathhouse with only minimal exposure to the snowstorm.

Nami and Robin were waiting for them in front of the bathtub. Steam emanated off the tub in coils, spiraling to the roof of the bathhouse and disappearing in the air.

"Bring them here," said Nami.

"Maybe some of us should leave," Usopp suggested meekly. "So we don't overwhelm them, you know?"

"Great idea, Usopp-san," said Robin. "I think I'll go and help Chopper-kun with whatever he's doing. Would you join me?"

"I'll go too," said Franky. He then elbowed Brooke in his ribcage.

"Ow!" Brooke complained, rubbing his ribcage. "That would hurt, if I had sides for you to elbow! Yo-ho-ho!"

"But yes, I'll go with you," Brooke added after a pointed glare from Franky.

"What about you, Nami?" asked Usopp.

Nami folded her arms. "I spent three months on two tiny ships with these two before you and the Going Merry showed up; I've seen them naked."

"Nami and I can handle this," Sanji reassured the others. "You can go. We'll let you know once we're done."

"We leave them to you, then," said Franky.

"Just, be prepared for when they enter the water," Robin warned.

And then, the four of them were gone and it was just Sanji, Nami, and their naked Captain and his naked First Mate propped against the wall.

"Alright then," said Nami, cracking her knuckles. "Luffy first?"

Normally, Sanji would object quite strongly to his beautiful, kind, beloved Nami-san handling the two naked idiots. But he knew that she, like him, was worried about their nakama. Besides, the Demon Twins were too out of it to even notice that they were naked.

"1…2…3!" said Sanji, and the two of them lifted Luffy into the air and lowered him gently into the water.

The instant he was submerged, Luffy's eyes shot completely open.

"Luffy?" Nami asked tentatively.

"Nami, back up," Sanji said at once, putting a protective arm out to block her.

Luffy lashed out, his wet arm catching Sanji squarely in the chest.

Sanji caught the arm easily; Luffy was still too weak to give him so much as a paper cut, let alone knock him away from the bath.

"Luffy, you need to calm down," Sanji said as calmly as possible. "I know it hurts, but it's for your own good."

In retaliation, Luffy opened his mouth…

And he screamed.

Sanji and Nami tried to reason with him. In hindsight, if Luffy had been even a fraction stronger at that moment, his screaming would have been more annoying.

But still, a screaming Luffy is worse than a quiet Luffy.

"Sanji," Luffy gasped. "It hurts."

"Well, I'm glad you're forming coherent words again," said Sanji, retreating to the wall. "That's a bonus."

"What are…?" Luffy trailed off.

Ignoring the disgustingness of what he was doing, Sanji lifted a very naked Marimo into the air, brought him over to the bath, and lowered him gently into the water opposite Luffy.

Like Luffy had before, Zoro's eyes shot open.

But he didn't scream. No, Zoro had too much restraint for even that.

Nami blinked. "Something's wrong."

Then,

"Sanji, he isn't breathing!"

Zoro's eyes dilated. His skin was turning even grayer than it already was.

Panicking, Sanji did the first thing that came into his head.

"Damn you, Marimo," and he punched Zoro in the gut.

To their relief, Zoro gasped. He doubled over, heaving gulps of fresh air.

"Wh-at w-wa-s th-at fo-r?" Zoro croaked between gasps.

"You weren't breathing, you asshole," Nami said as if it were his fault.

Sanji grabbed a wooden bucket off a nearby shelf. "Now that you're both somewhat coherent," he said while bringing the bucket over to the tub. "Do you remember where you are?"

"Or what happened?" added Nami.

Both boys shook their heads.

Sanji held up a finger. "First, you're in the bathhouse."

Moving as one, Zoro and Luffy looked down at the water as if they just noticed its presence.

"Second, you both were lost at sea after the storm last night," said Nami. "You must've made your way up that cliff somehow. How'd you do it?"

Luffy looked at her hopelessly.

"Well, that's not important now," said Sanji with an air of smoothing over troubled waters. After filling up the bucket to the brim with hot water, Sanji tipped the bucket over Zoro's mossy, green head.

"San-ji," Luffy groaned. "Hu-rt Zo-ro."

"It's for his own good, Luffy," said Nami. "Now I'm going to do the same to you, so be ready."

The moment Nami poured the second bucket of water over Luffy's head was when for the second time that day, Sanji had to restrain the Demon Twins. Sanji put out an arm to restrain the swordsman from lunging at Nami.

"It's alright, Zoro," said Sanji. "I know it hurts and it hurts even more to see Luffy in pain, but like Nami-san said, it's for your own good."

Sanji stared Zoro down. His greyish-white face was tinged pink with fever.

Sanji sighed. "Can you even understand a word we're saying?"

"O-off Luf-fy," Zoro insisted.

"Fine, you stupid marimo," Sanji said in annoyance. "We'll focus on you for now."

Diving his hand into the water, Sanji grabbed Zoro's and began massaging his fingers while being careful to maneuver around the reddish blue marks just as Old Man Zeff had once shown him with a customer ridden by frostbite.

"Nami, do the same with Luffy," Sanji instructed.

"O-okay," said Nami. "Sanji, have you done this before?"

"Yeah," said Sanji, moving on to Zoro's other hand. "I've seen it before in pirates up North who would show up on the _Baratie_. Luffy and Zoro both show signs of frostbite."

Without looking up, Sanji could hear Nami gulp. "But they'll be alright, won't they? They won't have to lose limbs or anything?"

Sanji chuckled humorlessly. "I'm no doctor, but I don't think it's that serious yet."

Nami sighed in relief. "I'm glad."

Sanji stood and dried his hands off on his blue shirt. "That could change at any moment," he told her grimly. "We can't rest yet."

At that moment, Usopp arrived with dry clothes. "Chopper says what ever you do, don't touch the blisters."

Nami shrieked and dropped Luffy's hand immediately.

"It's alright, Nami," said Sanji. "I saw Luffy; his blisters aren't on his hands. Now, will you help us get them dry and in dry clothes?"

Nami nodded, her chin set in determination.

Sanji knew there was a reason he was in love with her.

"Bring them in here, quickly!" said Chopper when the three of them arrived in the infirmary. "And shut the door."

"Do you want us to tell you what happened?" asked Nami.

"That would be very helpful," said Chopper. "While you're doing that, Sanji, will you do me a favor and hold Zoro's hand while I clean that wound on his side?"

Sanji must've made quite the face, because Chopper promptly said, "It's because I need to know how responsive he is! All you have to do is tell me if he squeezes your hand!"

"It's alright, Chopper!" Sanji said hastily, taking Zoro's hand in his own.

Chopper sighed. "Good. Now, while I clean his wound, tell me what happened in the baths."

One thing Sanji could say about Chopper was he was a good listener. He never stopped Nami once and he never made any exclamations while he was working and listening.

"The unresponsiveness," Chopper murmured. "The fever-Usopp, can you get two cold compresses for me-you say they're having trouble speaking?"

"Yes," said Sanji. "Zoro kept saying 'can't feel' so I'm assuming there's numbness present as well."  
"Frostbite AND hypothermia," said Chopper. "Potentially pneumonia too. This isn't good."

"What are you saying, Chopper?" said Nami. "They're going to die?"

Sanji's blood ran cold.

"Nami, hand me a role of bandages, please," said Chopper. "What I'm saying is they _could_ die."

"And they _could_ die really translates into they _won't_ die," said Sanji.

"Maybe," said Chopper. "Alright, I'm done dressing this wound. I'm going to apply the salve now."

Sanji watched as Chopper applied some sort of paste to all of Luffy and Zoro's frost burns. It scared him to see how unresponsive they'd become.

"Why are they still awake?" Nami whispered in his ear.

"Ca-n't sle-ep," said Luffy. "Zo-ro sa-id…"

Luffy erupted into a fit of coughing.

"Oi, Luffy," said Sanji. "Save your-."

But Luffy had stopped coughing. Instead, his eyes rolled back in his head as the sounds of someone choking for breath filled the room.

"Nami, get the oxygen tanks!" ordered Chopper. "Now!"  
"On it!" said Nami, bringing out a red, metal tank with two tubes attached to strap-on masks.

Chopper took one of the masks and secured it over Luffy's face. "Turn it on!"  
Luffy's eyes widened at this new source of oxygen, but he sank back down against his pillow.

"He-lp Zo-ro," was the last thing Luffy said before his eyes rolled back in his head once more, and at last, he slipped into unconsciousness.

Sanji glanced at Zoro. Thanking his lucky stars that Luffy and Zoro had a connection stronger than gold, Sanji gained Chopper's attention.

"Oi Chopper! Zoro isn't breathing either!"

Acting quickly, Chopper strapped the second mask over Zoro's face and turned on the flow of oxygen.

"Chop-per," said Zoro. "Ca-n't fe-el…"

"I know Zoro," said Chopper. "I know. That's why we need you to stay warm, okay? No leaving the infirm."

"Luf-fy," he said insistently.

"He needs to stay warm too," said Chopper.

Zoro flopped back against his pillow as if that solved everything.

Sanji studied this interaction with interest. Such was the relationship between the captain and his first mate, of course, but this almost seemed like…

Sanji sat himself down on a stool opposite their bed and dismissed the thought as ridiculous.

"You can go now if you want, Sanji," said Chopper.

"I think I'll stay," he told the doctor, never taking his eyes off Luffy. "If that's alright with you, Chopper."

* * *

Zoro

In hindsight, putting Luffy on the mast to tighten the rigging during a raging storm was probably a _bad_ idea.

"Zoro!"

Zoro saw Luffy fall and was already moving before Nami shrieked for him.

The sting of the icy ocean froze all of his senses. Zoro felt his body explode with fire. Every breadth of his being screamed for release.

And yet, his head functioned well enough to tell the rest of him to ignore all that. It didn't matter if his body screamed with the agony of the frosty fire consuming his entire being; Luffy couldn't swim.

It was that fact that allowed him to fight against the icy current carrying him in different directions to search for his captain.

There he was, a sinking, red rock swaying back and forth in the current.

That was all that mattered anymore. Zoro blocked out every other sensation but that red rock in front of him. When he latched onto it, the current somehow didn't feel as powerful anymore.

So they tumbled along. Zoro battled endlessly against icy current, his lungs begging for the sweet mercy of the surface and the air it provided.

Just when all hope was lost, Zoro's side was ripped open on a jagged rock.

Stupidly, Zoro opened his mouth to make a noise of pain and inhaled a gallon of water for his stupidity.

Zoro felt his vision going black, but his instincts told him that there was light just a little bit above him.

And so he pushed off the bottom of the sea floor, scraping both his and Luffy's feet on the jagged rocks scattered about.

No matter how he tried to ignore it, the trail of red, vaporous blood spewing from his side worried him.

Not as much as the blood trailing off Luffy's feet though.

It was okay though because at that moment, their heads broke the surface.

Zoro gulped down the chilly air then looked around.

Of course the Thousand Sunny was nowhere in sight.

"Sh-sh-it," he chattered. He needed to get Luffy to land, and fast. He diligently kept his captain's head above the water, but Luffy was still unresponsive.

And there it was. About a mile to the west (at least, Zoro thought it was west) was a shoreline.

Zoro's muscles screamed in protest as Zoro kicked himself and Luffy towards the shoreline. Ever so often, Zoro would stumble, and they'd both go under again until Zoro woke enough to break the surface once more.

After what felt like a lifetime, they made it to the shoreline. Zoro heaved both himself and his captain over slippery icy ground until he was certain that the tide wouldn't carry them back out to sea.

He turned to his charge.

"Luffy?"

He checked Luffy's pulse. It was weak, but still there. With a shuddering sigh, Zoro raised his fist and brought it down on Luffy's chest.

Luffy heaved, rolled over on his side, and vomited seawater all over the ground.

Zoro waited diligently for Luffy to finish.

"We n-need t-to fi-nd high-er gr-ground," Zoro chattered. "The t-tide's c-coming i-in."

Luffy looked up at him. "O-k."

The two of them attempted to stand. Zoro succeeded, letting a gasp escape as he did. When he stood, his side and feet reminded him of their injuries.

"Zo-ro," Luffy said urgently. "Fe-et?"

"Y-ou too," he assumed from the way Luffy winced, shifting weight from one foot to the other.

"Yeah," Luffy breathed.

Zoro pointed a shaking finger at the cliff above them. "C-can y-you?"

In response, Luffy wrapped an arm around Zoro's waist and stretched the other, latching on to the edge of the cliff.

With a whoosh, Zoro felt himself depart from the ground, leaving his stomach behind. The two soared through the sky, the chilly air whipping past like knives.

Then they hit the ground. Hard. Thankfully, the snowy ground softened the impact, but still, Zoro shook Luffy's suddenly prone form. "Luff-y?"

"M'here," said Luffy. "Wh-ere?"  
"Dun-no," said Zoro through chattering teeth. He gazed up at the darkening sky. "Sn-ow. Shel-ter."

"Wh-ere?" Luffy repeated.

Ignoring his body screaming in protest, Zoro got to his feet, gripping his swords, he dragged himself a few feet away from Luffy.

"Zo-ro."

Zoro ignored his captain.

" _80 Pound Cannon!"_

And like that, the two had a decent-sized hole in the ground; the perfect, make-shift shelter from the storm.

Zoro's world spun in circles as punishment for his exertion.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

Sanji

"They're coughing up blood, Sanji!"

"But is it really necessary to _operate_ on them?" demanded Sanji.

"They have potentially damaged lung tissue," Chopper insisted. "I need to remove it."

At that moment, Nami stuck her beautiful head around the door. "Sanji, I know you're worried about them; we all are, but who is the doctor here? Him? Or you?"

Sanji slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Fair point."

Sanji got up and stretched. "I need some air. Nami-san, you take over here."

* * *

Zoro

By sheer luck, Zoro woke again.

At least, that's what Zoro told himself. Not that Luffy's uncontrollable shaking right next to him and his impossibly high body temperature woke him up.

Because weakness was for people like that stupid Love Cook, not Zoro.

"H-hi," said Luffy.

"H-ow l-ong?"

"Dun-no," said Luffy. "I-I sl-ep-t t-t-th…"  
"N-no-t go-od," said Zoro. If Luffy couldn't string more than two words together anymore, then even Zoro knew he was in more trouble than a Sea King out of water.

Err, so to speak.

"S-so co-ld," said Luffy. "Sno-wed sle-ep."

While his words didn't make any sense, because he was Luffy, Zoro got the gist. It had snowed while he was sleeping and that was what woke Luffy up.

"S-s-so c-c-co-ld," Luffy repeated.

Every movement felt like fire, but Zoro pulled Luffy on top of him. "Th-en y-you sh-sh-sh…"  
Zoro doubled over, taking in shallow gasps of air from within Luffy's raven hair. Damn it, it looked like he couldn't string more than two words together either.

Luffy smelled like roasted meat and sea salt.

Why did he always have to be so distracting?

Right when Zoro was focusing on breathing, too.

* * *

Nami

Nami loved few things in life.

Of course she loved her sister, Genzo, money and tangerines. That was all she had ever loved.

Once.

But now, watching Chopper cut open Luffy and then Zoro, Nami realized there was something else she loved.

She really loved her nakama.

"Chopper?"

"Mm?"

"Please, save them."

* * *

Luffy

"Zo-ro?"

Zoro was heaving for air against Luffy's neck.

Now to Luffy, this wasn't the most unpleasant feeling, being on top of Zoro, but Zoro gasping for air against Luffy's neck was too scary.

So Luffy did the first thing that came into his head.

He grabbed Zoro's face.

Zoro was too out of breath to protest or say anything, really, but he raised an eyebrow.

Luffy let go quickly. "N-no-t br-bre-ath-in-g."

Zoro made one last gulp, then straightened again. "Cap-ta-in?"  
"Mm?"

"H-ho-w f-f-in-d?"

How would the others find them? Luffy had no idea. He figured he should come up with something so Zoro wouldn't worry.

"Sw-or-ds?"

Zoro understood at once. With a grunt, he threw his swords in the air. Three thuds from just outside their hole told Luffy that the swords had found their mark.

"N-no-w wh-wh-a-t?"

"W-w-e w-wa-i-t," said Luffy.

* * *

Sanji

Like a ghost, Sanji slipped out of his hammock that night and drifted up the ladder to the still-frigid air above. Not one to linger in icy temperatures, Sanji made a beeline for the infirmary.

With a soft crack of wood, Sanji opened the door.

Chopper sat slumped on his stool, fast asleep.

Sanji allowed him a soft smile. "You did your job well, Doctor," he whispered.

He turned his attention to the doctor's two charges in the bed next to him.

Err, charge, that is.

"Wait, what?" Sanji muttered.

Luffy lay alone in the bed. Then where was Zoro?

"Wh-wh-o's t-th-e-re?"

Sanji covered the small infirmary in one jump. Zoro lay slumped against the opposite end of the bed, breathing hard.

"You dumbass," Sanji tittered. "If you're still having that much trouble even speaking then you shouldn't be out of bed."

Zoro glowered at him. "P-pis-s o-of-f."

"Not until you tell me why you tried to get out of bed," Sanji said adamantly. "In two words or less; I don't want you choking on your own throat again, shitty swordsman."

Zoro's face went slack.

"What, you mean that _actually happened?"_

Sanji gaped at his rival and friend.

"S-sw-ord-s?" Zoro asked hopefully.

Sanji sighed and jabbed a thumb to the corner where the Wado Ichimonji, Kitetsu III and Shusui lay propped against the wall. "You're lucky those stayed with you in the water."

"Luf-fy."

Watching Zoro look so _broken,_ Sanji couldn't help but remember something Luffy told him while Zoro was recovering from his injuries on Thriller Bark.

* * *

" _Luffy, you haven't left Zoro's side in a week. Go and do something else!"_

" _Zoro's hurt. I just gotta stay with him until he's not hurt!"_

" _That makes no sense…"_

" _Sanji, I'm not as stupid as you think. My first mate almost died to save my life. He almost gave up his dream so I could fulfill mine. So until he's okay again, I'm not leaving."_

* * *

"You know, Luffy won't be okay again until you are; staying on that floor won't help the situation at all."

"S-st-or-m."

"That wasn't your fault, Zoro."

Zoro coughed. And he coughed again. And again and again until he was bent over, struggling to breathe.

Thankfully, Zoro's oxygen mask was still on the bed, the tank still feeding air into Luffy's rubber lungs.

Sanji held the mask to Zoro's graying face. "You dumbass."

"L-uf-fy."  
Sanji could see that Zoro had reached the point of delirium. But what was he supposed to do about it? He was a cook, not a doctor.

"Luffy will be fine if you stay in bed, you stupid moss head," Sanji said with the feeling of a broken record.

Then that shitty swordsman had to go and start _crying._

"H-e a-l-mo-st d-di-e-d," Zoro spluttered, the artificial oxygen aiding him to speak. "I a-alm-mo-st d-di-dn't…"

"You almost didn't what?" demanded Sanji.

But even that was too much for Zoro. He leaned back against the hard wooden bedpost, the tears spilling from his good eye without permission.

Sanji sighed. Seeing as Zoro didn't have the energy or the will to hold the damn thing himself, Sanji stood, stooping to hold the oxygen mask to the stupid moss head's face. From there, Sanji reached with his other hand for the extra blanket Nami had left at the foot of the bed, and returned to sitting next to Zoro.

"You need to stay warm and you're obviously not going to listen to me about going back to bed," Sanji explained despite Zoro showing zero recognition at Sanji's movements.

After securing the mask to Zoro's face with the strap, Sanji covered the two of them with the blanket.

Zoro's head rolled to look at Sanji through one, glazed eye.

"Until you're ready to either tell me what's got you so upset about Luffy-,"  
Zoro turning ever so slightly redder did _not_ escape Sanji's notice.

"Or to go to bed, I'm staying right here."

And so the two sat in silence.

Sanji gazed up at the celling, listening to the soft sounds of Chopper's breathing and the more mechanical sounds of a machine breathing for Zoro and Luffy.

It didn't take long for Zoro to fall asleep after that. Falling asleep was his specialty after all.

Sanji thought back to when he called Zoro out on his behavior on Luffy and the bastard, whom Sanji had rarely ever seen show any emotion but anger, _fucking blushed._

"Come to think of it though," Sanji said to himself. "I've only ever really seen him truly happy when he's around Luffy. He's only ever cried because of Luffy too."

A thought Sanji had earlier came back to mind.

Only now, it didn't seem so ridiculous.

Sanji stood, picked up Zoro, gently laid him in bed next to Luffy and spread both blankets over the two of them.

Before leaving, he took a moment to watch Zoro and Luffy. The two may have been deathly sick, but the two of them next to each other like that just looked so _right._

Sanji was almost certain now that both Zoro and Luffy would agree with him.

He couldn't wait to see what they would do when they were both truly awake again.

* * *

Luffy

Luffy once had watched all his dearest friends disappear in the blink of an eye, thanks to Kuma.

Now, watching Zoro slowly losing his life to the merciless cold, Luffy decided that this was way worse.

Zoro's good eye was sliding in and out of focus.

So Luffy went and grabbed his face again.

"Ngh," Zoro flinched. "Lu-f-fy."

Luffy lifted his hands to find, to his horror, that he'd grabbed a reddish-blue welt on Zoro's face.

Luffy ran his hands down Zoro's bare chest to find that his whole body was covered in them.

"D-d-did-n't k-k-n-o-," Luffy slurred. Then in an instant, Zoro's icy hands were running themselves along Luffy's exposed chest, lingering momentarily on the crater shaped scar on Luffy's chest that Luffy _really_ didn't want to think about at that moment.

"Y-y-o-u t-to-o," said Zoro, indicating the reddish-blue welts forming on Luffy's own skin.

Luffy took one of Zoro's enormous hands in his own and pressed himself harder into Zoro's lap. Maybe, if he buried himself far enough against Zoro, Zoro wouldn't freeze to death.

In response, Zoro wrapped his other arm around Luffy and pulled him into an even tighter embrace.

They sat like that in silence for who knows how long, wrapped in each other's arms, waiting for either their friends to rescue them,

Or for death.

Maybe it was because he was slowly dying, but in that moment, gazing up at Zoro's cool, marble-like face, Luffy knew that he really didn't want to die.

Not before becoming the Pirate King.

Not before Zoro became the World's Greatest Swordsman.

Not before…

Suddenly, one of Zoro's arms wasn't around him anymore.

"Mmm?"

Luffy watched Zoro write with a shaking finger in the snow wall of their little ice hole.

 _If we don't make it out of here alive, you need to know that I-_

But Zoro's arms were shaking too badly to finish his scrawling.

It was alright though; Luffy knew what he wanted to say.

How? Because he knew his swordsman. Because he knew his best friend better than he knew himself, most days.

Because he wanted to say the same thing.

With one stiff hand, Luffy lightly caressed Zoro's cool, marbled, _beautiful_ face.

God, Luffy wanted to kiss those cold, colorless lips.

But they were too far away and damn it all, Luffy was just too tired to reach up and do it.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to torture himself with watching Zoro slowly freeze to death any longer.

But then he felt a cold pair of lips graze lightly against his own.

Luffy opened his eyes.

He felt his frozen heart melt at the look Zoro was giving him.

And that kiss…

It hadn't been anything particularly hot or deep.

But it was small and sweet, and even more meaningful, considering the two of them were about to die.

Zoro's dark, mesmerizing eye regarded him with such desperate love that for once, Luffy worried for his own death.

Because if he died, what would happen to Zoro?

"L-lo-v-e y-yo-u," he said instead, his eyes already closing again.

In protest, Zoro leaned in and kissed him again.

He smelled like snow and steel.

Why did he always have to be so distracting?

Just when Luffy was trying to sleep, too.

"L-lu-ff-y," Zoro managed before bursting into a coughing fit again.

"Z-zo-ro," Luffy said in concern.

His concern multiplied tenfold at that moment when Zoro coughed and blood blossomed from his mouth.

"N-no s-s-sl-e-ep-i-ng," Zoro managed.

"K," said Luffy, never taking his eyes off his swordsman.

Zoro was unresponsive after that.

Luffy may have been losing his body and his mind to the merciless winter island, but he still knew how to cry and feel pain for his best friend.

 _Is this really the end?_

"Oi! Luffy! Marimo!"

Luffy blinked. Could that be?

"Where'd you slither off to? You'll pay for worrying Nami-san and Robin-chan?"

Luffy feebly tightened his grip on Zoro's almost-lifeless hand.

 _They were saved._

"D-do-wn h-he-r-e," he said as loudly as he could.

But of course he was too weak to shout. Why wasn't he stronger? Thanks to him, Zoro was going to die.

Then a blonde head, Luffy and Zoro's saving grace, stuck itself over the edge of the hole.

Sanji stared at the two of them for a moment.

"Well you could look at least a little grateful that I found you!"

If he had the energy, Luffy would have laughed. Sanji had no idea.

"San-ji."

Everything after that was a blur. Luffy couldn't feel his body anymore, but he remembered glancing at Zoro as Robin's giant hands lifted them out of the hole. His eyes never left Zoro's as Chopper lifted him into the air and Franky lifted Zoro into his arms.

If he could, he would've laughed for joy.

 _They were saved._

* * *

Sanji

They set sail the next morning. Nami insisted that it was best to get as far away from the wintery weather as possible.

For Luffy and Zoro, anyway.

And like always, Nami was right. The further away from that ice pit of hell they got, the more alive the captain and his first mate became.

Sure they still had trouble forming coherent sentences without stuttering or coming short of breath mid-sentence. Sure the first time Chopper tried to help Luffy to a chair next to the bed, his knees buckled and Sanji had to hold Luffy's hand as Chopper redressed the bandages on his feet.

But hey, at least Luffy could feel that his feet hurt.

Sanji didn't really know why, but he took more watches over the two boys than anyone else in the crew. He would have been completely unaware of the fact, had Luffy not pointed it out one afternoon.

Sanji had been watching over the two yet again while the others met in the kitchen, listening to Nami explaining the course to the next, hopefully much warmer island. Zoro was sound asleep. Luffy was too, or so Sanji thought.

"I dunno, Luffy," said Sanji, reaching for a cigarette before remembering Chopper's no-smoking in the infirmary rule. Normally, Sanji would be totally okay with breaking that rule.

But not today. Not after those two shitheads had endured so much and were on the road to recovery. "Maybe I just enjoy your company. Ever thought of that?"

"Shishishi," Luffy chuckled weakly. Sanji watched him snuggle subconsciously closer to the sleeping swordsman. "S-sanj-i?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"I-I nev-er th-than-k-ed y-you," he said seriously. "I-I th-thoug-ht…"

Luffy burst into coughing again.

Sanji balled his fist. Once upon a time, he'd thought that hunger was the most cruel monster on the ocean. But now, looking at his captain, he realized there was more than one cruel monster out there on the ocean.

The Cold was most definitely one of them.

Tears brimmed in Luffy's eyes. "H-he a-al-mos-t d-d-di-e-d b-bec-au-se h-he s-s-s-av-e-d m-me."

As the crew had grown accustomed to, the two boys could now string more than two words together, but too large a swell in emotion, or too long a sentence and both Zoro and Luffy became almost incomprehensible.

"Easy, Luffy," said Sanji. "I understand. You were scared that Zoro was going to die, weren't you?"

"Y-ye-ah," Luffy gulped.

Sanji sat up in his chair. In the moments when Zoro was awake, Sanji got nowhere further then that blush he'd seen a few nights before. He'd confessed his suspicions to Nami as soon as he'd left the infirmary that night, climbing up to the deck of the bathhouse where his orange-haired goddess sat on watch duty.

* * *

" _Sanji?"_

" _Nami-swan! It is good to see you!"_

 _Nami smiled softly. "You too, Sanji-kun. What do you want?"_

 _Sanji sobered up quickly. "It's about the blockheads."  
"Oh," said Nami, her smile turning sad. "What about them?"_

" _Well, you've known them the longest, right?"_

" _Uh-huh."_

" _Has their relationship ever seemed, I dunno, different to you?"_

 _Nami looked puzzled. "Different how so?"_

" _Different from other relationships on the ship?"_

 _Nami smiled wistfully. "Luffy and Zoro have a relationship like none I've ever seen before. We may all be nakama, but those two are special. They have a bond that transcends that of a captain and his first mate."_

 _Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. "Do you think they realize it?"_

 _Nami gave him a sly look. "What are you suggesting, Sanji-kun? That we help them realize it?"_

 _Sanji knew there was a reason he loved this woman._

" _Exactly."_

* * *

But Luffy and Zoro took the term 'stubborn love' to an entirely new level. But now, with Luffy so vulnerable, perhaps Sanji could get the captain to open up to him.

"SANJI-KUN! IT'S TIME FOR DINNER!"

Sanji felt a vein twitch at Usopp's shouts. Since he'd spent so much time over the last few days watching Zoro and Luffy, Nami had taken it upon herself to do some of the cooking. While he missed the soothing cathartic actions of preparing meals, it was nice to not have to cook for a change.

And of course, anything Nami made was a gift from the angels above!

Sanji stood.

"I'll bring you and the moss head your food later, Luf-."  
Luffy was already asleep, his head buried in the crook of Zoro's arm.

Sanji sighed. "Now if only they could admit when they're _awake_ that they love each other."

Ah well, he and his beloved Nami-swan would have to try again later.

* * *

Zoro

Zoro woke to the sounds of snoring.

He gazed at the celling, counting the grooves in the wooden panels for a good few minutes before he ran out of panels.

He looked down at Monkey D. Luffy, snuggled under his bandaged arm.

Was this real?

Were they really back on the Sunny?

Obviously they were, a voice in his head told him. Because Luffy felt warm and Zoro felt warm and, more importantly, he could _feel_ again.

"H-he-y."

Luffy looked up at him through big, dark eyes.

"H-ey your-self," he told his captain, hating how weak his voice sounded.

"W-we'r-e h-om-e," Luffy said proudly.

Zoro ran a hand through Luffy's dark, tousled hair. "Final-ly."

"A-ar-e w-we gon-na t-tal-k l-lik-e th-thi-s f-forev-er?" Luffy pouted.

"H-ho-pe n-no-t," was Zoro's reply.

Zoro couldn't stop grinning. Luffy felt so warm and _alive_ next to him that it made his heart soar.

They'd actually survived.

"Wh-wh-y Z-zo-ro s-smi-l-ing?" Luffy pouted half-heartedly. But, watching Zoro smile, Luffy couldn't help but grin back.

"B-be-ca-use we-re a-al-i-ve i-di-ot," Zoro said in his ear.

"O-h," said Luffy. He grasped Zoro's hand in his own. "Wh-what we-re y-yo-u t-ry-ing t-o w-wri-te i-n th-the i-ce c-cav-e?"

"I-Isn't i-t o-bvi-ous?" asked Zoro. Sending a silent thank-you to Chopper for switching those awful oxygen masks to those even more awful nose tube things, Zoro leaned in and kissed Luffy full on the mouth.

Luffy's mouth was warm and tasted like meat and he felt so _alive_ in his arms.

After what felt like an eternity, the two broke apart.

Luffy looked at him through half-lidded eyes with such love that Zoro felt his cheeks turn pink.

But, he thought, cupping Luffy's cheek in his hand, Luffy still had the right to know.

"L-love y-you."

* * *

Sanji

The warm evening air had never felt so sweet.

It was about a week after the Strawhat Pirates had left the winter island where Luffy and Zoro had almost lost their lives. In celebration for the weather being warm enough for the two to venture out of the infirmary, Luffy had declared that tonight, dinner would be a feast.

Sanji was happy to oblige. With help from Franky and Usopp, a banquet table was constructed on the deck. With a little more help from Nami, whom Sanji had grown quite accustomed to helping him cook, the table was soon laden with hot delicious food.

"Yo-ho-ho!" Brook chuckled merrily as everyone dug in. "I feel a song coming!"

Soon enough, Brook had whipped out his violin and begun to play a merry jig.

Sanji watched in amusement as Usopp and Chopper danced around in circles before nudging Nami.

"Shall we go and look for our guests of honor?"

Nami looked around the table, noticing, as Sanji had, that Luffy and Zoro were nowhere to be found. "We shall, my good man."

It took every once of Sanji's self-control not to swoon at those words, but the two made their way up the stairs to find their friends.

Since their feet were still badly cut, Chopper had insisted that if they wanted to leave the infirmary, they'd have to either let someone carry them, or share the only wheelchair the Thousand Sunny had. Zoro had protested hotly until Luffy said

" _We'll take the wheelchair!"_

and suddenly, Zoro was completely fine with taking the wheelchair.

Nami tugged on Sanji's suit sleeve.

"Sanji-kun," she said giddily. "Look."

She pointed to two figures by the spot where railing turned into the wall of the ship.

Monkey D. Luffy sat straddling the wheelchair's primary occupant, Roronoa Zoro. Luffy's rubbery legs were wrapped around Zoro's torso, his hands holding Zoro's face with more delicateness than he used on his hat. Zoro's heavily bandaged arms wrapped around Luffy's waist, his hands clawing fists into Luffy's red vest.

The two were locked in a passionate, intimate kiss, completely unaware of their audience.

Sanji chuckled to himself and Nami. "Well, it looks like we were right, Nami-san."

"I've known I was right since it was just the three of us travelling in two little dinghies," Nami scoffed. "It's about time they realized it themselves."

"At least I have less competition for you now," Sanji told her, making his beautiful princess blush a brilliant shade of red.

"What, you mean because you know now that your rival's gay?" Nami quipped.

"What does 'gay' mean?" Chopper asked innocently.

Sanji blinked. Without his noticing it, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky and Brook had all come to join him and Nami watching Luffy and Zoro.

"H-he's m-min-e."

All seven of them jumped, turning guiltily to Luffy and Zoro, who had broken apart and were looking very annoyed.

"H-he's m-min-e," Luffy repeated.  
"P-rob-lem?" Zoro demanded. Sanji blinked. Were these two actually _scared_ that Sanji and the others wouldn't accept them?

"I spent two years in fluffy, pink hell with those newkama," Sanji informed the two. "You're gonna have to do better than being gay to gross me out."

"IT'S ABOUT GODDAMN TIME YOU TWO!" Nami exploded. "IT'S BEEN THREE FUCKING YEARS!"

"N-Nami?"

"Don't mind her, marimo," said Sanji, handing a bawling Nami off to Robin.

"You had to go and almost die to realize that you're meant to be together, didn't you," Nami sobbed.

"Ah, we'll leave you two alone now," said Robin, guiding Nami back down the stairs.

Sanji turned back to tell the stupid swordsman that he was glad he was alive and he really was happy for him and Luffy, but the two had already gone back to eating each others faces again.

"Sanji?" Chopper asked innocently. "What does 'gay' mean?"

Sanji chuckled, took Chopper's hand, and the two of them returned to the party, leaving the lovers to their own devices.

"Well you see, Chopper, when a man and another man have been best friends for three years…"

* * *

 **Willoffire123: Whew! It feels good to finish a one-shot.**

 **Luffy: How many more stories do you have left to finish?**

 **Willoffire123: Well I still have to finish my Zatch Bell story.**

 **Terry: And your Batman Beyond story that you said was only going to be a one-shot.**

 **Delsin: And you inFAMOUS and Scrubs crossover.**

 **Connor: And your Assassin's Creed Story.**

 **Willoffire123: And the new Vampire Diaries story I've been working on!**

 **Zoro: Your ADHD is just getting worse with age.**

 **Willoffire123: I know! But you two are just so perfect together that I HAD to do something about it!**

 **Nami: Aren't you supposed to be working on your college essays?**

 **Willoffire123:…**

 **Franky: Author-sis?**

 **Willoffire123: (completely blocking Nami out) Until next time!**


End file.
